A 14-year-old Colorado boy has been awarded $65 million in a wrongful death verdict after his mother was killed by falling concrete on Interstate 25 in 2022. Megan Arneson, 32, had taken the day off work to surprise her son with a trip to Water World. She was driving him home on Aug. 8, 2022, when an improperly loaded excavator arm struck an overpass and sent concrete debris onto the northbound lanes. One piece went through the windshield and struck Arneson in the head. She died at the scene.
The five-day trial was against truck driver Darnell Yingling and his employer, Import Auto Inc. Yingling had already pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide-reckless driving in 2023 and was sentenced in January 2024 to four years in community corrections. The civil verdict announced this week brought a very different number.
For Gulf Coast drivers, the case is a reminder of how much heavy equipment moves along our own highways, from I-75 to the Sunshine Skyway approaches. Load height, clearance, and securing requirements exist for exactly this reason. So here’s what we want to know: when you’re on the road next to a truck carrying equipment, do you feel confident it’s loaded safely? Tell us on our Facebook page.
